SUNRISE -- A small but committed group of community activists has launched a campaign to counter the City Council`s efforts to replace the city`s strong mayor with a city manager. The group, calling itself the Committee for Good Government, has met three times and plans to file to become a political action committee. Chairman Ed Tennebaum said the committee will canvass Sunrise to persuade voters to oppose a July 12 referendum on changing the city`s form of government. The scheduling of a referendum and formation of the committee comes on the heels of Sunrise Mayor Larry Hoffman`s indictment by a county grand jury on grand theft and petty theft charges.

- Boca Raton is moving to stop medical marijuana dispensaries from taking root in the city for at least a year - ahead of it becoming legal in Florida. Legalizing medical marijuana will be before Florida voters in November. But before voters have a say on Amendment 2, Boca's city staff wants to keep the outlets out of the city until they can get a grip on regulating them, said Mike Woika, assistant city manager. An ordinance introduced Tuesday night would put a moratorium on the marijuana dispensaries for at least a year.

SUNRISE -- Vowing to fight "those vicious people on the City Council," Mayor Larry Hoffman relinquished most of his political power to an interim city manager at the stroke of midnight. Hoffman pledged on Monday to cooperate with Sunrise`s new city-manager form of government. However, he said, he would work to defeat the current council in next year`s city election. And he vowed to restore the broad authority with which this community traditionally has annointed its mayor. Also on Monday, interim City Manager Bill MacDonald withdrew his name from competition for the permanent job. In addition, officials appeared to avert a fight over who will now occupy the fifth-floor office in City Hall traditionally assigned to the mayor.

Taxpayers might be on the hook for three quarters of a million dollars in back pay to city employees after a judge decided Deerfield Beach violated a union bargaining agreement. The case arose after the city's blue-collar workers agreed in 2011 to a 5 percent pay cut to help Deerfield Beach get through its financial crisis. They only agreed to the cut because the city promised that all other employees, from the city manager down, would get the pay cut, too, said Steve Hall, who represented the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in negotiations at the time.

Move `em over until we move `em out . . . Falling from being the No. 1 ranked mid-size city to being No. 3 in FBI crime statistics wasn`t enough for West Palm Beach Commissioner Art Bullard. He wants the city to see what it can do about loiterers, many of whom have moved from Rosemary Avenue to Tamarind Avenue. "What we do is keep moving that line until we get them west of Military Trail; then we`re all right," Commissioner Nancy Graham said. Too bad for county comissioners if Graham`s plan works -- Military Trail is the city`s western boundary.

Your John Hancock please ... That`s what Boynton Beach Finance Director Grady Swann told Mayor Gene Moore last week so that city employees could get paid on time. Payroll checks must be signed by two principals in the city -- the mayor, vice mayor or city manager and the finance director, assistant finance director or deputy treasurer. So when City Manager Peter Cheney resigned on Tuesday, one of those principals was gone but the payroll had to go on. Swann quickly sent over a form for the mayor`s John Hancock, had a rubber stamp made from his signature and paychecks were not held up. A stamp is also being made for Vice Mayor Bob Olenik just to have an extra signature on hand.

Last Saturday was Jerry Blough's last day as the city manager of Margate. His last commission meeting, on May 21, was filled with goodbye speeches and an update on how the city has progressed in the last two years. "We accomplished a great deal together from what we were in 1996, when I first came to Margate, to what I believe we are today," Blough said. "[These have been] an extremely productive past two years that were filled with full days and weeks. We collectively accomplished much, but not all we set out to achieve.

Assistant City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark told commissioners Wednesday that she would be "very privileged and thrilled" to be the next city manager. She is negotiating a contract with the city attorney and will bring it to the commission at its June 20 meeting. "If the commission decides that that's the direction that they want to go, then that is a direction I want to go with them," Swanson-Rivenbark said at the conclusion of Wednesday's City Commission meeting. Swanson-Rivenbark would replace Doug Hewett who, in light of an Easter Sunday DUI arrest, resigned Friday after just 14 weeks on the job. Swanson-Rivenbark filled the role for eight months after Mayor Peter Bober ousted former City Manager Cameron Benson and accused him of budget mismanagement in June 2011.

Yolanda Rodriguez has been appointed the new city manager by the city commission. Rodriguez, currently the acting manager, officially takes over Jan. 4. She is replacing Frank Porcella, who is retiring Jan. 3 after a 38-year career as city manager and, before that, as fire chief. Rodriguez will earn $165,984 – compared to Porcella's salary of $176,596. She is also entitled to a city car and a $600 a month expense account. Rodriguez, a Plantation resident, has worked at Margate City Hall since 2008 as an assistant city manager and public information officer.

Thursday is not only Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It's also John Stunson Day in the city of Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler presented the retiring Oakland Park city manager with the proclamation at Wednesday night's Oakland Park commission meeting - Stunson's last one as manager. Stunson had previously served as an assistant city manager in Fort Lauderdale. Oakland Park commissioners lauded Stunson, 69, for his 22 years of leading the city, treated everyone at the meeting to a farewell cake, and even finished the meeting by 9 p.m. as a special favor to Stunson.

Commissioners were split this week on whether to fire the city manager, but unanimously agreed to ask the Broward inspector general to investigate City Hall's "million-dollar mistake. " In violation of city code, Hollywood administrators spent $935,000 on 35 temp workers without commission approval over the past two years. The workers were assigned to the police and fire departments, utilities and general administration. Commissioners rejected City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark's request earlier this month to approve the spending retroactively.

City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark was in the hot seat Wednesday, with some commissioners saying she should lose her job over what critics are calling a "million-dollar mistake" made by her staff. Critics are still demanding answers two weeks after Swanson-Rivenbark revealed that Hollywood administrators spent $935,000 on 35 temp workers without commission approval over the past two years, a clear violation of city code. Mayor Peter Bober and Commissioner Dick Blattner were quick to defend the city manager, saying she had been doing a good job leading the city.

Commissioners approved a $170,000 salary Wednesday for their incoming city manager, David Hebert. Hebert, an assistant city manager in Homestead, previously served as a Fort Lauderdale assistant city manager between 2006 and 2011. While Hebert's salary is more than the $158,820 of retiring City Manager John Stunson, he will not receive separate car and phone allowances. His total benefit package is less than Stunson's, officials said. Hebert, who starts Sept. 29, will get four weeks of combined sick and vacation time and a $27,000 annual retirement contribution, but he won't be part of the city's health plan.

Oakland Park commissioners approved a contract Wednesday with their next city manager, David Hebert. Hebert, an assistant city manager in Homestead, previously served as a Fort Lauderdale assistant city manager between 2006 and 2011. The contract commissioners approved includes a $170,000 salary, with no separate phone and car allowances. Hebert will get four weeks of combined sick and vacation time and a $27,000 annual retirement contribution. He will not be part of the city's health coverage.

Coconut Creek's new city attorney, Terrill Pyburn, likes to read books, run miles serve the community. The Fort Lauderdale resident started her new role as Coconut Creek City Attorney on July 7 and has quickly transitioned from her old job as interim city attorney of Delray Beach . What drew you to Coconut Creek? First of all, because Coconut Creek is on the leading edge of sustainable development with all of its green planning initiatives. I'm extremely interested in that.

Downtown parking spots can be hard to find in Boca and now 100 spots there are going to be the focus of a federal case. Earlier this month, Palmetto Place at Mizner Park Condominium Association filed suit against the city and city landlords James and Marta Batmasian, the owner of Investments Limited. The suit alleges that Boca - a “a rogue municipality” and the Batmasians conspired against the condominium association to deprive them of their rightful parking, among other allegations.